Doxorubicin-docetaxel combination is associated with an increased risk of severe and life-threatening complications

Researchers in France say a study using two chemotherapy agents to treat breast cancer was halted after two women in the study died.

The study was continuing a line of research that has shown combinations of certain breast cancer drug types are better that one kind alone in combating advanced and spreading breast cancer,and it involved the use of a combination of doxorubicin and docetaxel.

The research was conducted by the Huguenin Cancer Centre, Saint-Cloud, France and involved 627 women ages 18 to 70, and aimed to extend their survival for at least five years.

The study which began in 1999 was halted in January 2003, following two deaths related to drug poisoning and one case of peritonitis, an inflammation of the membrane of the abdomen.

The researchers say in conclusion, that the study shows that the doxorubicin-docetaxel combination is associated with an increased risk of severe and life-threatening complications, and the combination of the two drugs is potentially toxic.

The study appears in this week's Journal of the American medical Association.